PATCH HAVING REINFORCEMENTS WITH STAGGERED ENDS
A tire patch for repairing an associated vehicle tire includes a patch body configured to overlay a portion of the associated vehicle tire, and a plurality of reinforcements received at least partially within the patch body, each reinforcement of the plurality having a first ending and a second ending, wherein the plurality of reinforcements are arranged to provide a staggered arrangement of the first endings.
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to tire repair patches having reinforcements, and, more specifically, to tire repair patches having axially offset or staggered reinforcement endings for application to a damaged area of a tire.
2. Description of the Related Art
Tires are known to be susceptible to becoming damaged. Such damage may occur when a tire encounters road debris, such as nails, glass, and stone, and during tire mounting and dismounting. Damage may also occur on the inside or outside of the tire, or may puncture the tire. Further, the damage may occur along the tread area, or along the sidewalls. In some instances, the damage may not penetrate the tire but weaken a particular area or region of the tire.
When repairing the damaged area of a tire, a patch is commonly used to cover and seal the damaged area. A patch may be made of various types of materials, such as, rubber, or other types of polymeric or elastomeric materials, and may include various reinforcements, such as cords and/or cables. In some applications, the patch may be adhesively affixed to or cured to the tire. Typically, the damaged area is prepped prior to application of the patch. For example, damaged material may be removed, and a surface may be buffed for receiving a patch. The buffed surface may also be cleansed prior to patch application. Subsequent steps may include applying an adhesive or cement prior to installing the patch.
At times, a tire patch may become detached from the tire, resulting in air loss. Detachment may arise from the formation of one or more separations at an edge of the tire patch. As a separation grows or propagates along a path, it may travel along the edge to form a crack. This often occurs in high stress or high deflection areas of the tire, such as the shoulder and sidewall areas of the tire. What is needed is a tire patch that better resists the formation and propagation of separations along one or more edges of the tire patch, especially in high stress areas of the tire.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONOne embodiment of the present invention includes a tire patch for repairing an associated vehicle tire. The tire patch includes a body configured to overlay a portion of the associated vehicle tire. It also includes a plurality of reinforcements received at least partially within the patch body, each reinforcement of the plurality having a first ending and a second ending.
In particular embodiments of the tire patch, the staggered arrangement of first endings includes one or more undulations. Other embodiments of the staggered arrangement of first endings include a plurality of undulations. Further embodiments of the staggered arrangement of first endings provide an alternating staggered arrangement of first reinforcement endings.
In further embodiments, the plurality of reinforcements include one or more pairs of adjacent reinforcements, each pair comprising a first reinforcement and a second reinforcement, wherein the first ending of the first reinforcement is axially offset with respect the first ending of the second reinforcement.
In other embodiments, the plurality of reinforcements includes a plurality of pairs of adjacent reinforcements, each pair comprising a first reinforcement and a second reinforcement, wherein the first ending of the first reinforcement is axially offset with respect the first ending of the second reinforcement.
In particular embodiments, the second ending of the first reinforcement is axially offset with respect the second ending of the second reinforcement to provide a staggered arrangement of second endings.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more detailed descriptions of particular embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numbers represent like parts of the invention.
Particular embodiments of the present invention provide devices for repairing the damaged area of a tire 10. The devices include a tire repair patch 15 having a plurality of reinforcements 20 having endings 22, 23 that are positioned in a staggered or offset arrangement with respect to each other and/or the edge of the tire patch 15.
Tires 10 are known to be constructed from reinforcements, such as cords or cables, arranged and cured within elastomeric material, such as natural or synthetic rubber. Accordingly, a tire is susceptible to becoming damaged at any location along the tire, including locations along the tread 11, shoulders 13, and sidewalls 14. Damage may be caused by the penetration of an object, such as a nail, glass, or stone. Damage may form a scratch, abrasion, cavity, or laceration, which may arise, for example, from road debris, curbs, tire mounting or dismounting, or accidents. The damaged area may include damage to the tire reinforcements, or may simply penetrate the elastomeric material, each of which may compromise the integrity of the tire and render the tire unusable in many circumstances until repaired.
The tire patches 15 of the present invention are generally applied to the tire 10, so to cover or span the damaged area for the purpose of sealing and/or providing additional reinforcement to the tire 10.
Referencing
Reinforcements 20 may comprise any material known in the art, which includes cables formed of metal, such as steel, cords formed of any textile, such as aramid, polyester, nylon, or rayon, or any other reinforcement known in the art. The reinforcements 20 may be any length, extend in any direction relative to patch 15, and be spaced apart at any desired interval. In particular embodiments, as shown in the FIGURES, reinforcements 20 are arranged in a spaced-apart, side-by-side (i.e., adjacent) arrangement. In particular embodiments, reinforcements 20 are arranged laterally juxtaposed to each other, or, in other words, arranged lengthwise in a parallel arrangement. In one particular embodiment, the reinforcements 20 are bound together in a substrate 21 of material, as generally shown in
It is understood that tire patch 15 having one or more ends 28, 29 containing a staggered arrangement of reinforcement endings 22, 23 may otherwise comprise any patch known in the art. Accordingly, such patch 15 may be formed and constructed according to any method and manner known in the art. Further, patch 15 may be formed into any arbitrary or geometric shape, such as, for example, a polygon, a circle, or an ellipse. In one embodiment, the tire patch 15 includes at least three layers, which includes a reinforcement layer 16b, a bottom cushion layer 16c, and a top cushion layer 16a. In other embodiments, top and/or bottom layers may not exist, and/or additional reinforcement layers may exist. In constructing tire patch 15, the layers 16 may be stacked one on top of the other with the reinforcing layer 16b being arranged therebetween. In this way, the top 16a and bottom 16c layers comprise the patch body 17. Each of the layers 16 may be cured, cemented or adhesively affixed, or otherwise joined together by any manner suitable for use with the materials selected to construct the layers 16. In one particular embodiment, the fourth adhesive layer 16d may be applied to the bottom layer 16c and may comprise a chemical adhesive of any known type adapted for bonding the tire patch 15 to the rubber tire 10. It is noted that, in one embodiment, when the tire patch 15 is installed onto the tire 10, the reinforcements 20 may be arranged to extend lengthwise in a substantially radial direction between the beads 2 of the tire 10, such as, for example, when applying patch 15 to a radial (radially biased) tire. It is contemplated, however, in other embodiments, that such reinforcements 20 may extend in any other desired direction relative to the tire 10.
With reference generally to
A staggered arrangement of endings 22, 23 may also be described as providing one or more undulations 42. Specifically, two or more pairs of staggered endings 22, 23 may result in an undulation 42, which generally comprises a discontinuity along an arrangement of endings 22, 23 that may form a recess or protrusion comprising one or more endings 22, 23. Generally, an undulation 42 is associated with two pairs of adjacent reinforcement endings 22, 23, wherein the first pair provides an offset Δ in a direction inward or outward patch 15 and the subsequent pair provides an offset Δ extending in the other direction, so that an inward-outward or outward-inward undulation is provided. For example, in
In particular embodiments, the staggered arrangement of endings 22, 23 includes endings that are each positioned axially along a lengthwise direction of the corresponding reinforcement 20. Accordingly, reinforcements 20 are longitudinally displaced with respect to other reinforcements 20. In particular, the ends of particular reinforcements 20 may be longitudinally displaced with respect to each other as measured from a plane perpendicularly intersecting the longitudinal or axial axis of reinforcements 20, such as a linear end 22, 23 of patch 15. For purposes of discussion, longitudinal displacement is also termed axial displacement.
With continued reference to the FIGURES, the reinforcements 20 have a length LR that defines first 22 and second 23 respective reinforcement ends. In one particular embodiment, to achieve a staggered arrangement of endings 22, 23, an end 22a of a first reinforcement 20a may be longitudinally displaced with respect to end 22b of second reinforcement 20b, such as by distance Δ. The offset reinforcements 20a, 20b may be directly adjacent to each other. In particular embodiments, each adjacently positioned reinforcement 20a, 20b may be offset with respect to the prior reinforcement 20, such as is shown in
In particular embodiments, such as shown in
Referencing
With reference now to
It is noted that the distal edges of the reinforcing layers 16b, and/or the arrangement of reinforcements 20 and endings 22, 23 within a patch 15, may be aligned or arranged symmetrically or asymmetrically about a lateral or longitudinal centerline of reinforcing layer 16b and/or patch 15. In a symmetrical alignment, the reinforcement endings 22, 23 are equidistant from a transverse centerline axis, as illustrated in
While this invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments thereof, it shall be understood that such description is by way of illustration and not by way of limitation. Accordingly, the scope and content of the invention are to be defined only by the terms of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A tire patch for repairing an associated vehicle tire, comprising:
- a patch body configured to overlay a portion of the associated vehicle tire;
- a plurality of reinforcements received at least partially within the patch body, each reinforcement of the plurality of reinforcements having a length extending between a first reinforcement ending and a second reinforcement ending,
- wherein the plurality of reinforcements are arranged in a spaced apart, side-by-side arrangement such that the first endings are arranged in a staggered arrangement whereby a first ending of at least one of the plurality of reinforcements is offset in a lengthwise direction of the reinforcement from a first ending another of the plurality of reinforcements.
2. The tire patch of claim 1, wherein the staggered arrangement of first endings includes one or more undulations of first endings.
3. The tire patch of claim 1, wherein the staggered arrangement of first endings includes a plurality of undulations of first endings.
4. The tire patch of claim 1, wherein the staggered arrangement of first endings is an alternating staggered arrangement of first endings.
5. The tire patch of claim 1, wherein the plurality of reinforcements includes one or more pairs of adjacent reinforcements, each pair comprising a first reinforcement and a second reinforcement, wherein the first ending of the first reinforcement is offset in a lengthwise direction of the first reinforcement with respect the first ending of the second reinforcement.
6. (canceled)
7. (canceled)
8. The tire patch of claim 1, wherein the offset is at least 5 mm.
9. The tire patch of claim 1, wherein the offset is at least 10 mm.
10. (canceled)
11. (canceled)
12. (canceled)
13. The tire patch of claim 1, wherein the length of each of the plurality of reinforcements is substantially the same length.
14. The tire patch of claim 1, wherein the plurality of reinforcements are contained within a reinforcement layer of the patch.
15. The tire patch of claim 14, wherein the reinforcement layer is a ply of material, the ply of material comprising the plurality of reinforcements arranged within an elastomeric substrate.
16. The tire patch of claim 14, wherein the reinforcement layer is interposed between a top cushion layer and a bottom cushion layer.
17. The tire patch of claim 14 further comprising an adhesive layer arranged along an outer surface of the bottom cushion layer.
18. The tire patch of claim 1, wherein the plurality of reinforcements are arranged in a parallel arrangement.
19. The tire patch of claim 1, wherein the plurality of reinforcements arranged in a spaced apart, side-by-side arrangement provide a staggered arrangement of the second endings, whereby a second ending of at least one of the plurality of reinforcements is offset in a lengthwise direction of the reinforcement from a second ending another of the plurality of reinforcements.
20. The tire patch of claim 2, wherein the undulation of first endings is formed by four or more first endings.
21. A patched tire comprising:
- a tire having an interior surface and an exterior surface;
- a tire patch applied to one of the interior surface and the exterior surface, the patch comprising: a patch body configured to overlay a portion of the associated tire; a plurality of reinforcements received at least partially within the patch body, each reinforcement of the plurality of reinforcements having a length extending between a first reinforcement ending and a second reinforcement ending, wherein the plurality of reinforcements are arranged in a spaced apart, side-by-side arrangement such that the first endings are arranged in a staggered arrangement whereby a first ending of at least one of the plurality of reinforcements is offset in a lengthwise direction of the reinforcement from a first ending another of the plurality of reinforcements.
22. The tire of claim 21, wherein the plurality of reinforcements arranged in a spaced apart, side-by-side arrangement provide a staggered arrangement of the second endings, whereby a second ending of at least one of the plurality of reinforcements is offset in a lengthwise direction of the reinforcement from a second ending another of the plurality of reinforcements.
23. The tire of claim 21, wherein the plurality of reinforcements are arranged in a parallel arrangement.
24. The tire of claim 21, wherein the plurality of reinforcements are contained within a reinforcement layer of the patch.
25. The tire of claim 21, wherein the reinforcement layer is a ply of material, the ply of material comprising the plurality of reinforcements arranged within an elastomeric substrate.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 27, 2008
Publication Date: May 12, 2011
Patent Grant number: 8720510
Applicant: MICHELIN RECHERCHE ET TECHNIQUE S.A. (Granges-Paccott)
Inventor: Cesar Zarak (Simpsonville, SC)
Application Number: 13/001,412